Cutting block for clicking machines and the like



CUTTING BLOCK FOR CLICKING MACHINES AND THE LIKE Filed'Sept. 7, i922lnvenfor.

Francis A. Shem Patented Nov. 4, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS A. SHEA, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNO'R T0 REESE SHOEMACHIN- ERY COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

CUTTING BLOCK IFO'R CLICKING IEACHINES AND THE LIKE.

Application filed September 7, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANoIs A. SHEA, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Boston, county of Sulfolk, State of Massachusetts, haveinvented an Improvement in Cutting Blocks for Clicking Machines and thelike, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawingrepresenting like parts.

This invention relates to a cutting block adapted for use in thosemachines which are designed to cut or die out blanks from sheet materialby means of cutting dies. These machines are commonly provided with acutting bed on which the material is supported and a vertically-movinghead adapted to act on the cutting die and force the latter downwardlythrough the material thus cutting out the blank of the desired shape.

In order that the machine may operate correctly it is highly importantthat the work supporting surface of the cutting bed should be alwaysperfectly flat and smooth because if the surface is uneven the cuttingedge of the cutting die will strike the high spots and will not cutclear through the material on the low spots.

It has heretofore been the practice to make these cutting blocks of woodbut eX- perience has shown that after a wooden cutting block has beenused for sometime the continued action of the cutting edge of the dieagainst the wooden surface chips the latter sufficiently so that itbecomes uneven and when this condition arises it becomes necessary torefinish said surface in order to make it perfectly plain and fiatagain.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a novel cutting blockwhich has a work-supporting'surface of such a nature that it will notchip or wear unevenly even after long continued use, whereby the blockalways presents a fiat level surface and does not need to be refinished.

I accomplish this end by making the surface of the block of somematerial which is slightly elastic and is tough so that when the knifeedge strikes it it will give sufiiciently so that the knife does not marit, the resiliency of said surface causing it to return to its normalflat condition when the pressure on the knife is removed.

While various kinds of material may be Serial No. 586,781.

used which have the above characteristics I find that celluloid answersall the purposes and that an eminently satisfactory cutting block can bemade by facing the wooden block with a sheet of celluloid.

In order to give a better understanding of the lnvention I haveillustrated in the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will nowbe described after which the novel features will be pointed out in theappended claims.

The drawings show in perspective a cutting block embodying my invention.

This cutting block has the body portion 1 which is made of wood, and canconveniently be formed by a plurality of wooden blocks 2 which areassembled to make a bed of the desired size, said blocks being arrangedwith the grain extending vertically. These blocks are shown as boundtogether by a binding member 3 all as usual in cutting beds of thistype.

The work-supporting surface 4 of the cutting bed is made of a materialwhich is tough but which will yield slightly when engaged by the cuttingedge of the die so that the die will not chip or cut it.

In the present embodiment of the invention this surface is provided bysecuring a sheet 5 of celluloid to the top of the body 1 of the block.Said sheet may be placed loosely on the block or may be adhesivelyunited thereto or secured thereto in any suitable way. The sheet will beof uniform thickness and presents a perfectly fiat cutting surface 4.

In order that the cutting die may function properlyit is, of course,necessary that it should be forced clear through the material on thesurface 4 so as to make a clean cut, and this brings the cutting edgefirmly against the face of the block. Where the block is provided with aface of the above described character the engagement of the cutting edgeof the die thereagainst does not chip the face because of the toughelastic quality of said face and, therefore, the machine may becontinuously used without the cutting face 4 showing any mars or cuts,such as result where the face of the cutting block is of wood.

With this invention, therefore, the life of the cutting die is greatlylengthened and even after a long continued use it presents a smooth evencutting surface.

While I have referred to celluloid as making a suitable face for thecutting block, yet I do not Wish to be limited to the use of celluloidas my invention contemplates the use of any material which has the abovedescribed desirable characteristics.

' I claim.

1. A cutting bed for clicking machines and the like comprising a bodyformed of Wooden blocks arranged With a grain extending perpendicular tothe cutting surfaceyand a sheet of celluloid overlying the grain end ofthe'block and forming the cutting surface of the cutting bed.

2. A cutting bed for clicking machines 15 I and the like comprising a'bodyihaving a celluloid work-receiving face.

3. A cutting block for clicking machines and the like comprising a bodymade of Wooden blocks arranged With their grain extending perpendicularto the cutting face, and a relatively thin sheet of tough but slightlyresilient material covering the grain inds of the block and forming thecutting ace.

In testimony whereof, I havefsigued my nameto this specification.FRANCIS A. SHEA.

